Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.—Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)

As we got closer to hitting the big 4-0, Brian and I got in a habit of taking daily walks right after school drop-off and before we headed into work. Our goal, taking better care of our bodies, quickly expanded as we reaped the rewards of the effort: clearer minds, bolstered spirits, and, yes, a few pounds shed. Forty minutes, nearly three miles, and a lot of conversation fed my soul and left me ready to face the coming day. 

Every morning, I would look up into the sky; it seemed there wasn’t room for a single cloud to interrupt the sea of brilliant blue. Day after day, I would comment on it, until I finally turned to Brian and said, “Has it always been this blue, and I’ve just never noticed it?” 

As months rolled by, we certainly had a few rainy days that kept us inside. But most were sparklingly blue, which felt like a love letter straight from God to my heart. 

I’m not a weather expert; I don’t know if our year of walks featured more clear skies than others or not. What I do know is that God gave me the chance to see and truly notice them for the first time. Now, just as I always check to see if He’s showing off with a spectacular sunset, I take a moment in the morning to look up and see the beauty He is creating. 

Doing so lets me refocus my thoughts on Him and energizes me for the day ahead, almost as much as my actual walk itself does.